Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Jasmine

On Thursday, Jason and Layla send Liam a text inviting us over to their apartment for dinner. They’re making tacos. I’m always up for tacos.

“Do you want to go?” Liam asks me.

“You’re sure they invited me, too?”

Liam laughs. “Of course they did. The invite says you guys.” He makes a point of glancing around the apartment. “I don’t see anyone else here besides you.”

We’ve just gotten home from work, showered, and changed into clean clothes. I’m wearing a pair of blue jeans and a pale blue hoodie. I sit sideways on the sofa, my feet tucked up on the seat cushion.

Liam sits at the other end of the sofa and turns to face me. “Jason told me this was Layla’s idea. I think she’d like to make friends with you.”

“With me? Seriously?”

“Yes, seriously.”

“Does she know?” I ask.

Liam shakes his head. “I honestly don’t know. Jason knows, and he might have told her.”

“I have to tell her. It wouldn’t be fair to her otherwise.”

“You can if you want to. But Jasmine… Layla has struggles of her own. I’ll let her decide what she wants to share with you. But believe me when I say you’re not the only one who’s been through challenges. Who knows? Maybe you two could be great friends.”

I smile at the idea of having a friend. Other than my sister Angel, when we were little, I’ve never had a friend before now. I wouldn’t consider any of the girls who work for Tony to be friends. They’d gladly stab you in the back if there was any advantage in it. Now I have Lia, who I would consider a friend. Jonah, too. And now maybe Layla and Jason. “Sure, let’s go.”

After I refresh my curls and brush my teeth, I put on a bit of mascara and a little blush and lip gloss. I study my face in the bathroom mirror and am glad to see that most of the bruises are fading. I’m starting to look more like myself again.

I wonder what Liam thinks when he looks at me. I’ve been told my whole life that I’m pretty, but to me, I’m just me.

I jump at the sound of a knock on the bathroom door.

“Ready to go?” Liam asks.

I turn to open the door. “Yep, I’m ready.” I smile, hoping I don’t look self-conscious. Thank goodness he can’t read minds.

Liam’s dressed in black trousers and a navy blue button-down shirt. This is the most dressed-up I’ve seen him.

“Am I underdressed?” I ask, suddenly afraid I misunderstood tonight. “I thought we’re just going for tacos.”

“No, you’re fine.” He catches my gaze. “Actually, you’re perfect, Jasmine. It’s just a casual dinner with friends.” He reaches out and gently tugs on a corkscrew of curls, sending a shiver across my scalp and down the back of my neck. He drops my hair as if burned and steps back. “Ready?”

I nod, not trusting myself to speak. My throat has suddenly closed up on me. Countless men have touched my hair before, played with it even, and it never once felt that good.

We across the hall to Jason and Layla’s apartment. Liam knocks on their door.

Jason opens the door a moment later and welcomes us in. “Perfect timing,” he says. “Dinner’s just about ready. Can I get you guys something to drink?”

“I’ll take a beer if you don’t mind,” Liam says.

“How about a bottle of Dos Equis in honor of taco night.”

“I’ll have one, too,” I say. At least now I have proof that I’m twenty-one.

Jason raises an inquisitive brow at Liam, and Liam laughs. “Yes, it’s official. She’s twenty-one. We have a copy of her birth certificate to prove it.”

“Just checking,” Jason says as he closes the door. “Come on into the kitchen.”

We find Layla at the kitchen counter dicing tomatoes. When she sees us, she washes up and dries her hands on a towel. “Hey, guys,” she says. “I’m so glad you could come.” She steps forward and hugs Liam. Then she turns to me, almost hesitant as she opens her arms. “Can I have a hug?”

For a moment, I’m paralyzed, standing frozen on the spot. Layla waits patiently with a smile on her face. “Sure,” I finally say, returning her smile. I step closer, and she wraps her arms around me, giving me a tight squeeze. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Can you grab the sour cream and the salsa out of the fridge?” she asks.

“Sure.” I feel all tongue-tied, nervous, and so out of place. I catch Liam’s gaze, and he smiles at me.

Jason grabs bottles of beer out of the fridge and hands one to Liam, one to me, and keeps one for himself. I’m surprised when Jason hands Layla a bottle of sparkling water.

“I don’t drink alcohol,” Layla says to me, grinning bashfully. “It conflicts with my medication.”

“Oh,” I say. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t—I didn’t mean to—”

“It’s okay,” she says, cutting off my awkward attempt to apologize. “I’m a type 1 diabetic. Plus, I take other medication.”

Jason steps up behind Layla and puts his hands on her shoulders, giving them a little squeeze. He leans in to kiss her cheek. “Dinner looks amazing, sweetheart, and it smells fantastic. Thank you.”

Layla gives him a beaming smile. To me, she says, “I’m learning how to cook.”

The four of us sit at the table in their kitchen and build our own tacos. Layla put out both crunchy taco shells and soft tortillas, tortilla chips, homemade salsa, guacamole, and all the fixings. For dessert, she made a Key lime pie.

“This is really good,” I say, meaning every word.

She smiles, looking pleased at the compliment. “Thanks.”

“Are you taking cooking classes?” I ask her.

“Not exactly. My parents’ chef, Andre, is teaching me.”

Her parents have a chef?Oh, my god. Her parents have a chef, and my mother is a drug addict.

“Jasmine’s taking self-defense classes,” Liam says. He winks at me. “Lia’s teaching her.”

“Really?” Layla asks, her dark eyes wide. “I’d love to take self-defense classes.”

“Maybe I could teach you one day,” I say. “I mean, after I learn myself.”

“That would be wonderful,” Layla says. “I’ll be your first student.”

I’m on my second soft taco when Layla says, “Are you guys going tomorrow night?” She looks at Liam. “We missed you last week.”

I look to Liam, not sure what Layla’s referring to.

“Um, no,” Liam says, shaking his head. “I don’t think we’ll be able to make it.”

Layla frowns. “Oh, that’s too bad.” She looks at me. “I’d love for you to come.”

“Come where?” I ask, having no idea what they’re talking about.

“Every Friday night after work, a bunch of us meet at Tank’s for dinner,” Layla says. “It’s sort of our regular thing. Jason and I, Liam, Erin and Mack, Miguel, Philip. The guys play pool and throw darts, and we all eat too much.” She nods to me. “You guys should come. It won’t be the same without you. Erin and I would really appreciate having another girl around.”

Tanks.

It was in the alley behind Tanks that Liam rescued me. That’s a neighborhood I know well—very well. I’d often hang out on street corners in that part of town.

“Jasmine?” Layla asks. She reaches over and lays her hand on mine. “Are you okay?”

Mentally, I shake myself. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Well, think it over,” Layla says. “I hope you guys can join us.”

After we eat dessert, the guys kick us out of the kitchen while they clean up.

Layla and I end up on the sofa in the living room.

“I’m really glad you came tonight,” Layla says. “To be honest, I don’t have many friends, so it’s nice to meet someone new.”

I chuckle. “I can relate.”

Suddenly Layla looks away from me, seemingly staring across the room at the wall. Frowning, she shakes her head.

“Layla?”

She doesn’t respond. She just continues staring at the wall and shaking her head, as if she’s listening to something I can’t hear.

I try again. “Layla? Is everything okay?”

She flinches as her attention snaps back to me. “Oh, sorry. I was… distracted.”

“It’s fine. You don’t have to apologize.”

“I meant it when I said I hope we can be friends,” she says.

“I’d like that, too.” She has no idea how much I’d like that.

Layla looks away again, staring at nothing. She shakes her head, and I just watch her for a moment, waiting, not sure what’s going on. Finally, she snaps out of it and refocuses her attention on me. “If we’re going to be friends, there’s something you should know.”

“What’s that?” My heart starts pounding. If we’re going to start sharing secrets, I’m sure mine beats hers, hands down.

“I suffer from auditory hallucinations,” she says. “I hear voices. That was the other medication I was referring to earlier in the kitchen, when I said I can’t drink alcohol. I take antipsychotics.”

“Oh. Well, that’s fine. I know quite a few people who take them.” A lot of Tony’s girls take them.

“I just wanted to be up front with you,” she says. “You know, in case you decided you don’t want to hang out with me. It’s okay. I’d totally understand.”

“No, it’s cool,” I say. “I’m fine with it.”

She gives me a relieved smile. “Thanks. I never know how someone’s going to respond.”

I guess if we’re sharing, it’s only fair I tell her my secret—that I’m a former prostitute. But I can’t do it. She’s one of the first people I’ve ever met who actually wants to be friends with me. I’m afraid if I tell her the truth, she won’t want anything to do with me. I don’t want to screw this up, so, like a coward, I keep my mouth shut.

Later in the evening, after we return to Liam’s apartment and crash on the sofa, I tell him, “You should go out with your friends tomorrow, like you normally do. Don’t skip it because of me.”

He shakes his head. “I’m not leaving you here alone.”

“It’s fine, really. I don’t mind. I’ll just watch TV or read.”

He gives me a look. “Jasmine, I’m not leaving you. Would you like to come with me?”

My stomach drops. “Are you serious?”

“Sure. Why not? You might enjoy getting out. Layla will be there, and Erin, too. You met Erin at the bookstore, remember?”

My pulse is galloping. The idea of going out, with Liam, is thrilling. But reality rears its ugly head. “I can’t, Liam. Not to Tanks. Someone might recognize me. I worked that part of town a lot lately. And if word got back to Tony—I can’t risk it.”

“Okay, we won’t go then. It’s no problem.”

“You should go. Don’t let me hold you back.”

He shakes his head. “Like I said, I’m not leaving you.”

That night, as I lie in bed wide awake, I’m obsessed with the idea of going out with Liam. It would almost be like a date, and that’s something I’ve never done. And I like Liam’s friends—the ones I’ve met so far. I’m sure I’ll like the others, too. This would be the first normal adult thing I’ve ever done—go out with friends. Go out, have fun, laugh. Work on making friends. Be with Liam.

“I want to do it,” I whisper to myself, just testing out the words. “I want to go out. It’ll be fine.”

By the time I fall asleep, I’ve just about convinced myself to do it.

* * *

The next day, Lia picks me up at McIntyre Security after lunch and drives me to her house.

“Do you and Jonah ever go out with Liam and his friends when they go to Tanks?” I ask her on the way.

Lia laughs. “No way. It would get out of hand the instant someone recognized him. His location would get posted all over social media, and before you know it, there would be a mob.”

“Oh, right.”

“Once it gets out on social media that he’s out in public, people come pouring in from everywhere. It gets out of hand quickly. Why?”

I shrug. “Layla—do you know Layla?”

“Of course.”

“She asked if we were going to Tanks tonight, and Liam said no. But I sort of want to go. I want to do something normal, like go out with friends. And it would be fun to go out with Liam.”

Lia grins as she side-eyes me. “Are you crushing on my brother?”

“No! Absolutely not.”

“Why not? He’s hot.”

“Lia.” I give her a look. “You know why.”

Lia shakes her head. “Nope, I can’t think of a reason.”

I roll my eyes. “Maybe because I used to be a ho, or have you forgotten that? Once a ho, always a ho.”

She laughs. “I don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t go for Liam if you like him.”

I face forward and stare out the windshield. “He deserves better.”

“That’s bullshit. Look, Jazz, you’re a fierce and ferocious badass babe. He’d be lucky to have a girl like you in his life. I think you two are perfect for each other.”

I turn to stare at her like she’s crazy. “You do know what I’ve done with probably hundreds of men, right?”

Lia shrugs. “Hey, everyone deserves a second chance. Even badass girls like you. Reclaim yourself, Jazz. Reclaim your identity, your power. It’s no one’s business what you used to do. What you do now is what matters. Here’s your chance to write your own future and say fuck off to your past.”

Lia pulls through the gate at her family’s community and drives to her house. She parks in the garage. We get out and walk inside the house, into the kitchen, where Jonah is making a sandwich.

“You make it sound so easy,” I tell Lia. “What if someone recognizes me? I used to work in that part of town.”

“If anyone gives you any grief,” she says, “kick him in his junk, just like I taught you. Right?”

I nod. “Right.”

Jonah turns to us, his eyes wide. “What’d I miss?” He winces. “Jeez, remind me never to piss off either of you.”

Lia smacks his ass as she walks past him. “Don’t worry, babe. Your junk is safe with me.”

Lia and I head down to the lower level and start our workout. We start with basic drills, then move on to more complicated techniques. We practice for hours, only taking short breaks once in a while.

Liam arrives at five-thirty to pick me up. “All ready?” he asks when he finds us in the kitchen, raiding the fridge for cold drinks.

“All done,” Lia says. “Jazz gets a gold star for her work today. She’s a fast learner, bro. You’d better hustle if you want to keep up with her.”

I laugh. “Yeah, right.”

“Duly noted, sis,” Liam says. Then he winks at me.

On our drive back to the apartment, I tell Liam, “I changed my mind. I want to go out tonight with you and your friends.”

“Are you sure?” he asks.

“Yes. If anyone messes with me, I know what to do.”

He grins. “And what’s that?”

“Kick him in his junk.”

Liam fights a smile. “How about you leave the ass kicking to me, okay?”

“Sure,” I say. “But Lia’s taught me enough to do some damage if I need to.”

“Let’s hope it never comes to that,” he says.